Lifespan

Halvor stared at the crystal sphere for a while, then he thickened his eyebrows.

"What is this...? Why am I sensing a demonic aura from this thing?"

Evan's eyes went wide for a moment, he clearly didn't expect Halvor to understand everything so easily.

"Suppose so, what if I do? Does it make any difference to you?" Evan asked with a calm look, but his gaze became sharper.

Klaus, who seemed to be too far away to hear their conversation, discreetly grasped the hilt of his rapier, hidden under the thick blanket. He still continued to stare into the fire with a serene gaze.

"I will be brief. If you belong to one of the demonic sects, you better get out of here right now. Not just out of my house but out of the forest, I promise I won't hurt you then." Halvor said in complete seriousness.

"A demonic sect...?" Evan stretched out, then shook his head, "Nah, nothing like that. Call me self-taught, because I didn't even have a teacher, I got my initial knowledge from a book that I found in my grandfather's closet as a child. It was covered with a thick layer of dust, and the pages seemed to fall apart at any sudden movement."

Obviously, that didn't happen, since neither Kellan's grandfather nor his father had any knowledge of demonic art. However, Evan wasn't entirely lying, for he had actually gotten his first knowledge of demons from a book, just in another world.

Halvor stared at Evan for a long time, all to fully ascertain whether he was lying or not.

"Fine, I believe you. If you don't bring a threat to this forest you can stay. Now, tell me what this sphere is?"

Hearing this, Klaus gave a sigh of relief and took his hand off his rapier, placing his palm on the bear cub's head. 

"In brief, this thing shows where the lair of the parasites is, one of which turned moose into that creepy monster. I have a week to destroy the lair or my deal with the demon will break." Evan shrugged.

"A parasite...? Right, in the last few weeks, they've just appeared out of nowhere, and I've noticed there are more of them. The infected beasts used to show up once a week, but now every few days I have to deal with them..." Halvor muttered, scratching the back of his head.

"Maybe we should attack right now?" Klaus entered the conversation, abruptly appearing beside them.

Evan shook his head, "No. We better get ready, especially me. Prison has seriously worn out my body, I need to recover and get my physical shape in order. Well... as much as is even possible in six days."

"It's decided!" Halvor exclaimed with an excited expression as he slapped Evan on the back with no restraint at all.

Evan's eyes went wide from the bright pain that traveled through his entire body in several waves. Halvor's intentions weren't aggressive and it affected the pain, but Evan still had to clench his teeth tightly to keep from screaming in pain.

Halvor noticed this as he got an awkward look, scratching his cheek, "Oh, sorry, I forgot you're not mages and are still practically kids."

Klaus lifted his chin with a sly smile, "I knew it. First Circle, isn't it?"

"Heh, you seem to have some knowledge of mages."

Klaus shrugged, "Come on. Basic stuff is taught about in schools, it's something so primitive it should be considered natural to know it."

Halvor smiled broadly, "Guy, if you've been to school, then you're already luckier than most."

"True." Evan nodded.

Realizing he was outnumbered, Klaus turned to Hana, hoping for her support.

However, she just nodded.

"They're right."

Klaus placed his palm on his face with a deep sigh, "Well, maybe I am."

"By the way. Halvor, how old are you?" Evan asked in full earnest.

Demons demanded years of life in return for their power, though the deals could vary and could be very different, the caster always had to give up at least one day of his life. Naturally, the price was usually much higher and depended on the situation.

One of the most important factors was the demon number that showed its power, however, sometimes the number was not a direct indicator of the power of a particular demon.

The stronger the demon was and the harder the task it faced, the more the caster had to give up his years to make the deal happen.

It was critical for Evan to find out if it was possible to increase lifespan in this world, for in his world the absolute maximum was 300 years. Only he and the Emperor could live to almost 500, for when the Emperor died at Evan's hand, he was 489 years old. Normal humans lived for about 70 years.

Halvor smiled widely, ''Try to guess! I'll give you one try!"

Evan cast Halvor an evaluating glance, like a scientist trying to study every detail.

'Hmm... He looks about 30-35 years old, though considering the conditions he lives in, his beard, and muscles he might actually be a little less around 25...' Evan pondered before saying his final verdict.

"27!"

Halvor's eyes went wide with surprise. He even seemed to be slightly embarrassed, and then Evan realized that he was badly mistaken.

"Well, I'm glad to hear that sort of thing, but you really missed a lot. Anyway, I'm more than twice my age. I was born 55 years ago!" Halvor replied, poking his chest with his thumb.

No emotion appeared on Evan's face, he just asked, "May I know what your lifespan is?"

"Hmm?" Halvor glanced at him, "Sure. As a First Circle one, my lifespan is about 150 years."

Evan's eyes sparkled, seeing the new possibilities before him, but he needed to clarify one more thing to complete the picture.

"This may seem strange, but what is the average lifespan of commoners?"

Halvor scratched his cheek in puzzlement, "Khm, I don't even know... 50 years? No, probably 60, although if it's a poor village or a town on the edge of the world I'd say 45. Living conditions are terrible in those places, you know?"

Then Evan realized something important, even critical. In this world the average lifespan was slightly lower than in his, however, the maximum was much higher.

'Halvor is strong, but surely there are those in this world to whom he is a real weakling. So even a thousand years shouldn't be the limit!' Evan inwardly exclaimed while a mad grin spread across his face.

Halvor looked at Klaus as if asking, 'What's wrong with him?'

Klaus just shrugged.

A bigger lifespan meant more years of life, which meant more deals with demons. However, the stronger Evan got, the more the quality of his years would have an effect, so he needed to get stronger as soon as possible.

'Climbing to the top again? Well, I don't mind doing it forever!'